Loving Them

  I ran my hand over it. “When did you get this?”

  “The year I left for college. When I was fifteen.” He rolled his eyes at it. “Someday I’ll get rid of it. I’m not proud that I ever got it. Back then, I thought it was something to be proud of.”

  I laid a kiss on it. “It was. On you. Still is in that way.”

  He sucked in a long breath. “The things you say. Even more, you mean them.”

  Without giving him warning, I gently took his cock in my hand. In a long stroke, I caressed him. He shuddered. “Paloma.”

  “Let me. Please. I want to show my love, too, Keith.” I stroked him again, and he moaned, a long sound that was somehow filled with both pleasure and with pain.

  He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “You’re going to kill me.”

  “Wouldn’t be a bad way to die, would it?” A new thought dawned on me. I got up on my knees and came over him. My mouth watered. I’d heard stories back when I was in school, but since most of my adult life had been spent basically being locked up, I wasn’t sure exactly how these things went. I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to try.

  I leaned over and took him in my mouth. His hips jerked off the bed. “Shit, Paloma.”

  I ignored him. This process was turning out to be more complicated than I’d anticipated. Keith had a large, erect cock, and I needed to get him further inside my rather small-sized mouth and throat. It took some maneuverings, but eventually, by adding my hand to the process and stroking where I couldn’t fit him, I managed to do what I’d set out to.

  He tasted like male heat. I closed my eyes to enjoy the process. After a while I was able to pick up speed. His body was beautiful. I held onto his leg with my free hand, stroking through the hair on his legs.

  Eventually, he pulled me up. His eyes were heated, and he breathed hard. “I want in you.”

  I supposed that was fair. I scooted back to the headboard and put my hands on it. He’d wanted me this way. I’d told him anyway he wanted it, and then I’d reneged.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You are the best wife ever.”

  I hoped that proved to be true. “I love you.”

  Keith pushed my legs apart. “If this goes too fast, I’ll make it up to you next time.”

  He pushed himself inside of me, sheathing himself fast. His eyes half-closed, he looked away from me for a second. “Like coming home. I didn’t know. I didn’t know it could feel like this so fast.”

  I didn’t let go of the headboard. My heart beat so fast I could hear it in my ears. “You feel like heaven to me. So full inside. So with you right now.”

  He started to move. Slowly at first but then he sped up. I gripped the board so hard my hands hurt. Still, I didn’t let go. The pleasure moved through me. I was going to come fast. He grabbed my hand, pulling it from where I’d held on and placing it on the back of his neck. “I need your hands on me, baby.”

  He didn’t have to explain. I’d told him: it was how he wanted it. I slid my other hand to his neck, and I held on for the ride. Keith didn’t so much slide in and out of me as he conquered my body. I couldn’t keep up, and it was okay. He moved fast, in and out. My body reacted to the thrusts by giving in. Exploding around him. I cried out, closed my eyes, and somehow I wasn’t surprised when he bit me on my shoulder blade.

  My name was all he said when he lost himself at last. Not that I could really hear him through the haze of pleasure that swept over me.

  Keith spooned me from behind, his hand over my left breast. Maybe it was having been awakened three times in one evening, but I really wasn’t having an easy time falling back asleep. I yawned. The will to rest was there but not the ability.

  My husband, by contrast, was out cold. Every so often, he’d squeeze my breast, causing pleasure to pass through me. I smiled. I hoped he was having good dreams and that I starred in them.

  The door opened and closed quietly. Maybe it was good I hadn’t gone to sleep. Clay had arrived.

  He walked to the side of the bed and gently shook Keith. There was a shuffling before Keith let go of me with a quick kiss on my shoulder and exited the bed. A few moments later, the door opened and closed.

  Clay lay down in the bed, taking Keith’s place. He pulled me against him. “You should sleep. I know you’re up. I’m not going to ask you for anything tonight. Just sleep me with, love.”

  It was like his words gave me permission to rest. He wasn’t going to wake me. I could actually close my eyes.

  Clay pulled the blanket over both of us. “I love you. Sleep.”

  I did as he said.

  I ran through the woods, tree branches striking me in the face and arms. I turned around, but my pursuer was still there. A giant scorpion had come, and if it stung me, I was dead. I ran and ran, my breath coming out in pants, but it didn’t matter. Just as I rounded a corner, the stinger came out and…

  I came awake on a pant. Goosebumps were all over my body, every nerve ending braced like I was about to take a swat from a deadly creature.

  Clay shifted behind me, tugging me tighter. He wasn’t awake.

  It was still dark, and although I didn’t know what time he’d come in, I didn’t think he’d been there very long. He exhaled on a sigh. “Sleep, Paloma. You’re safe.”

  “How did you know I was up?” I turned in his arms. I wanted to go to sleep hearing his heartbeat. Clay had always been safety to me. He was the first person to try to save me from the Sisterhood when he saw me getting injured.

  “You weren’t snoring.”

  I rubbed my face against his chest. “I don’t snore.”

  “You do. And I love it because it tells me you’re in the room. Sleep, love. All is well. Whatever the dream was, that’s all it was now.”

  I must have believed him because I did as he said.

  7

  Sustenance

  I heard noise in the other room, but it sounded like they were trying to be quiet. Not that Tommy, Quinn, and Keith could ever really be called muffled. I woke up slowly, feeling Clay’s heat next to me. He snored lightly. After his pronunciation about my sleeping sounds, I had to smile. It wasn’t overpowering; in fact it made me want to close my eyes and snuggle closer again.

  Instead, I had other thoughts. I’d had an incredible night. A momentous one. Now, however, I really wanted some hot water on my person right then and there. I nudged my way out of Clay’s arms then walked out of the room into my bathroom. Quietly, I closed the door and turned on the water.

  I’d had a shower with Tommy, but that felt, somehow, like a lifetime ago. I smiled. My body felt… well-used. I was sore in really wonderful places I hadn’t known I could be sore in.

  I stood under the spray for a moment before I heard the bathroom door open and close. I poked my head to see who had come in, not surprised when I saw Clay standing there. He leaned against the doorframe.

  “When I drew last, I wasn’t actually that upset. I knew what they didn’t.”

  I wiped the water out of my eyes. “What’s that, my darling?”

  “That I would get you in the morning. It’s not late. You could still be asleep.”

  I grinned at him. “You could, too.”

  He pointed at the water. “Can I get in there? With you?”

  I stepped back. Much as I was already sore, anticipation rose, I didn’t feel like my wedding night was quite finished.

  He took off his clothes then climbed into the heat with me. I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t almost been killed by a large rock.”

  His shoulders shook with laughter. “I never saw it coming.” The laughter abruptly stopped. “And then they hurt you for saving me. And I had to leave you there.”

  I pulled back to kiss his chin. “But you came back. That’s what counts. You came back for me.”

  “Always will.”

  I could feel his erection pushing against me, but Clay made no move to push me into anything. In fact, I would h
ave bet that he would have let me out of the shower without ever making a move and then gotten on with the day without pushing for his turn.

  He was thoughtful, almost to a fault. He’d worry that it would be too much for me when the truth was that I wanted him as much as the others. He was as equally my husband as they were. I wanted him. Badly.

  I stroked his cock, which got his attention. The energy in the room instantly changed. He bit down on his lower lip. “Paloma.”

  “Clay.” I stroked him again. “If I climb up your body the way I want to, could you hold me? Could you, say, do me against the wall of this shower?”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I could.”

  I believed it. Clay was lean but very strong. “Do you want to?”

  Apparently I didn’t have to ask him twice. He hoisted me up where I wanted to be. We were eye-to-eye for one moment before his mouth was on mine, and then I was holding on for dear life. This was really exciting.

  Clay’s gaze was heated and his muscles tense. He pressed upwards, his already erect cock pushing deep inside of me. The trick seemed to be that I had to keep myself still against the wall. My back was cold where the shower spray didn’t hit the side of the shower. But it didn’t matter. Nothing was going to bother me right then. I was too busy being fucked against the wall by Clay.

  Out of all of them, he was the most romantic. But it turned out he could be as dominating as I needed. All I had to do was ask. After a night of passion, this was the most wonderful way to start the morning.

  Every time he pressed in, he rubbed against my clit. It sent bursts of pleasure through me. I moaned and he sighed. Over and over again. I wasn’t sure how long I could hold off coming, but I didn’t want this to end.

  He was my Clay. I bit down on my lip and let myself look at him. He was a beautiful man. I could see how he could get lost in the shuffle between the personality that was Tommy and the trouble that Quinn and Keith could get into. But I would never not see him. The man had the biggest heart in the world, and he wore it on his sleeve.

  He was mine.

  The thought drove me crazy. I needed—I needed—I needed—and finally it came. I exploded around him, and he called out my name. Over and over.

  The shower pounded down on us. I let myself slide down his body. He didn’t let go, as though he knew my legs weren’t going to quite work yet.

  “Next time longer.” His voice was rough, and he leaned his head against the top of mine. “I got… really excited when you suggested doing it against the wall. That might have been a fantasy of mine. You and me. What we just did.”

  I kissed him hard on the lips. “I love you. Good morning. And anytime.”

  He glowed with happiness.

  I cooked everyone eggs. Conversation was easy. If I hadn’t participated in all of the loving the night before, I might not have believed that anything had changed at all. The guys sat around the table, leaving a space for me between the twins. I scooped out the food, and then we all sat down.

  Tommy spoke between bites. “You don’t have to feel, love, like you always have to cook. We can take turns.”

  I waved my hand. “I like it. It’s very… calming for me.”

  Keith raised his eyebrows. “Can’t she keep doing it? Please? She’s really good at it.”

  Tommy nodded. “Yes, but I don’t want her to feel like she has to. We don’t expect you to cook, Paloma, unless you want to.”

  I sipped my coffee. “I want to.”

  Quinn nudged me with his leg. “Then we want you to. A lot.”

  Clay read his tablet; he didn’t seem to be paying attention to the conversation. This was very unlike him. I leaned forward a bit to touch his arm. “Are you okay?”

  “What? Yes. Sorry.” He set down the tablet. “My client is in bad shape. I’m really frustrated by not being there to help. I’m looking for any precedent.” He picked up his coffee. “I can get obsessed.”

  It had been his getting obsessed with my safety that saved me in the first place. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.” He winked at me.

  Quiet fell over the table as I listened to them eat their food. This was a cozy moment. I knew how precious they were, how quickly something like this could turn into running for our lives. Or dying. Sister Superior’s dead eyes crossed my vision. What in the hell was the matter with me?

  “P?” Quinn stroked my arm. “You okay? You’re not eating.”

  The idea of food turned my stomach. “I think… I’m not hungry. But I like that you’re all enjoying.”

  “Honey.” Tommy set down his fork. “Listen, I’m not trying to be annoying. I know how it is when someone is constantly telling you what to do, and I believe, wholeheartedly, that you take very good care of yourself. But, ah, to put this delicately, you had a long night. I think it might behoove you to get a little protein.”

  He was right, and I knew it. “I was hungry. Particularly when I was cooking. But for some reason, my mind decided to throw an image of Sister Superior being dead right through my memory, and the idea of food became less palatable. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you. Maybe I should have just kept this to myself. I don’t want to ruin everyone else’s breakfast with my… problem.”

  Keith leaned over and kissed my cheek. “It’s because you’re happy and you don’t believe you can stay this way.”

  I feared he’d really hit the nail on the head. “Yes.”

  “Do you want to talk to Ari?” Tommy fiddled with the fork he’d just set down a moment ago.

  “Maybe. Yes. No.” I stood. “I’m ruining today. I’m sorry. What was the plan for today?”

  Quinn tugged on my hand, having me sit back down in the chair. “You’re not ruining anything. Do you know how many meals I’ve screwed up for all of us? When Tommy first got me out of Sandler space, I used to break things at the table.”

  “I wish I could say that was an exaggeration.” Clay rubbed his nose. “But it’s not. He broke things. Tables, sometimes, in addition to all the silverware. You’re fine love. You’ve been through a lot. The bombing in the promenade was bound to bring up your previous bombing experience.” He set down his cup with a clank. “I cannot believe you’ve had not one but two bombs go off around you.”

  Tommy had finished eating. He steepled his hands together over his plate. “And let’s not forget the bounty hunter. And the crashing. And the saving Quinn’s ass only to have shelving fall on you and you nearly dying.”

  Quinn pointed at him. “Got to fix that in the next design.”

  Tommy nodded. “Yep. Gotta Quinn-proof the shuttles for when little brothers crash their toys with our wife on it.”

  “That was not my fault.” Quinn rolled his eyes. “And you know it.”

  Keith played with a strand of my hair. “Or you could count the initial trauma of being abandoned to that horrible location by your parents in the first place.”

  They had pretty much summed up my issues. “You’ve all been through hell, and you’re able to eat breakfast.”

  “We’ve been doing it longer. The things we have to live with don’t go away; they just become part of the story. They always cause you pain. You’re just not used to the pain.” Quinn’s eyes were far away. “Like they make you decide that you don’t want someone else using you to take human life. You want to make the decision about when to do that all on your own.”

  I kicked him. “It’s not nearly that easy for you, and you know it.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Yes, but I like knowing that you know it.” He leaned over and kissed my neck. “Maybe you just need to work up your appetite again.”

  “Ooh, can we play with her at the table?” Keith smiled against the other side of my neck. My body woke up, goosebumps breaking out all over me. “I think she likes this.”

  Clay threw a napkin at Quinn. “No fair doing that when I can’t reach.”

  Tommy stood. “I’m going to make a mess.” He swept the plates and cups and everything on the table off un
til it was everywhere, all over the floor. I gasped. What was he doing? Keith must have understood Tommy’s intentions better than I did. He hauled me up, and the next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the table.

  Clay stared down at me, his head facing the wrong direction; he looked upside down from my vantage. “This okay? You can say no. We didn’t plan this. Little spur of the moment here.”

  “Like I’d ever say no.” Well, not today anyway.

  He grinned. “Awesome.”

  Clay’s mouth came down on mine. It was the first of many. All over. My clothes were off before I knew it. I wasn’t even sure who took them and where they were discarded. A totally dressed Tommy climbed up on the table, straddling my body while he looked down at me.

  He had a plate in his hands. “I thought I was done eating. But I’m not.”

  “What?”

  He took a piece of fruit off the plate. I’d seen that in the fridge when I’d been making breakfast. At some point, they’d been busy getting things for this place. He placed a strawberry in my mouth and then bent over to eat half of it while I did at the same time.

  It tasted sweet, and in the middle our mouths met. I think that was my favorite part.

  “Again.” He placed another one in my mouth. This time when our lips met, his mouth tasted as sweet as the strawberry. His grin was infectious. I couldn’t help but do it back. “That’s my girl.”

  Clay shoved at his shoulder. “My turn.”

  He scrunched up his face and mock rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah. Little brothers. Always wanting to rush me away from my favorite activities.”

  “You went first last night. Twice now. I’ve got to watch you. You’re tricky.”

  Clay took Tommy’s spot. I thought he’d continue with the strawberries, but he didn’t. Instead he held up some whipped cream. “Where did you get that?”

  That was a real delicacy on the station. Anything that couldn’t be produced on site had to be brought in. Milk was fine because of the abundance of cows, but at least when I’d lived here, no one had been mass-producing whipped cream. It came from Earth, and it cost a lot of credits.